Chapter 172

One interviewer cleared his throat. "Yes, but not entirely."

"What are quasicrystals?"

"Quasicrystals are a type of crystal structure where the atoms are arranged in a non-repetitive, non-periodic, yet symmetrical pattern."

"The arrangement of atoms is somewhere between crystalline and amorphous structures. The person who discovered this is Dan Shechtman. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011 for this discovery."

"Oh, I see Wait! You said the Nobel Prize in what?"

"Chemistry."

"Uh, aren't we interviewing a biology graduate student today? Why would Paul ask about physics and chemistry?"

Dr. Jefferson already mentioned that his questions wouldn't be limited to just biology.

"Tch! To be honest, this question is too difficult for an undergraduate."

"She answered the previous questions well, but she's just unlucky to be targeted by Paul…"

"Is it too hard?" Paul asked calmly. "Of course, you can also choose not to answer."

Miranda looked up and met his gaze. "Do you have a whiteboard and marker pens?" The key to this question was how she could support her explanation with data. Paul was assessing her interdisciplinary skills and knowledge.

"Yes," Paul said, signaling to the staff to prepare the materials. Soon, a whiteboard was set up, and a marker was handed to her.

Miranda turned toward the board and began writing a chemical formula. She used the formula as a starting point to analyze the atomic structure of quasicrystals. Two key principles were involved: the icosahedral principle and the golden ratio principle. Under these principles, Miranda obtained the structural model of the simplest quasicrystal. This model explained the details of the high-resolution image of Al-Mn quasicrystals—a point within the field of chemistry.

Next, Miranda delved into fractal geometry, pattern sequences, correlation measures, and correlation dimensions to derive a formula for quasicrystals. Within the discussion of pattern sequences, she conducted a detailed analysis of 2nd-order, 3rd-order, and k-order sequences. This part fell under the domain of mathematics.

Miranda quickly moved on to a second whiteboard as the first was filled with English text and mathematical symbols. Now, she tackled the core of the question: the physics explanation. She divided the topic into two major parts—theoretical physics and applied physics. For the theoretical section, she covered three main theorems, seven major formulas, and sixteen derived sub-theories.

Not only did she write them all down from memory, but she also created scenarios and substituted specific numbers to verify their accuracy. When substitution wasn't possible, she proved her formula on the spot. When confronted with a problem, she attempted to solve it; if she failed, she found another solution. Although her approach was direct, it was quite effective.

The applied physics section was much more extensive. Miranda explained the influence of deformation and heat treatment on the properties of 00Cr12Ni9Mo4Cu2 martensitic stainless steel. She then noted the microstructure and properties of quasicrystal-reinforced Mg-Zn-Re alloys. After that, she demonstrated the diffraction properties of one-dimensional Fibonacci quasicrystals, undercooled Al72Ni12Co16 alloys, and the solidification behavior of icosahedral quasicrystals.

One by one, she wrote all this down. Soon, the second whiteboard was full. Paul signaled the staff to bring in a third whiteboard.

Finally, Miranda concluded with three derived formulas and provided numerical models for verification before perfectly wrapping up her answer.

She set down the marker and turned to Paul. "This is my answer."

After a moment, a slight smile appeared on his stern face. "Thank you for your answer. You may leave now."